Sierra Vista superintendent recommends closing Joyce Clark Middle School; board to vote April 21

Sierra Vista Unified School District Superintendent Terry Romo recommended closing Joyce Clark Middle School (JCMS) and shifting middle‑grade students into K–8 configurations at a district town hall, saying declining enrollment and budget pressures make the consolidation necessary.

The proposal presented by Romo would keep incoming 6th graders at their elementary sites while forming an 8th‑grade cohort that would remain together at the Joyce Clark/Town and Country campus for the 2026–27 school year as a one‑year transition. Romo said the recommendation is hers to make and that the governing board, not the superintendent, will make the final decision at its April 21 meeting.

Why it matters: district leaders said persistent enrollment loss has reduced state funding and stretched staff across underused campuses. Romo told the audience the district has lost more than 2,000 students over the past decade and estimated roughly 3,000 empty seats systemwide, which the district says drives the need to consolidate services and reduce duplicate administrative and support positions.

What the district presented: Romo described a rubric used to rank facilities and recommend closures—factors include building utilization, facility condition, current and projected enrollment, counts of students in special education and English‑learner programs, and free/reduced‑price lunch eligibility. She said the district’s facilities and maintenance teams contributed condition assessments to the ranking.

Enrollment and finances: Romo said JCMS currently had "220 enrolled for next school year" in her presentation and later referred to a projected 270; district staff provided a grade‑level breakdown (reported during the meeting as 107 seventh graders and 167 eighth graders). At the town hall Romo also said the district has lost roughly 350 students since last year, which she said equates to about $5 million in funding based on state funding formulas. The district indicated it will provide more detailed fiscal analyses to the board in follow‑up materials.

K–8 model and programming: Mary Perez, a principal who has been developing a K–8 model at her site, described site visits to larger K–8 schools and argued a K–8 configuration can strengthen mentorship, simplify family logistics (single drop‑off), and retain sibling enrollments. Crystal Wamback, interim director of curriculum, summarized research the district reviewed suggesting some K–8 conversions were associated with improved 7th‑grade math and reading outcomes and fewer discipline incidents, while warning results depend on instructional quality and supports.

Electives, athletics and student supports: District staff described a rotational model for electives (quarterly rotations with specialists shared across sites), plans to preserve athletics (practices and home games on the Joyce Clark campus with bus transportation), and continued access to counselors, nurses and special education services through the elementary sites that would host middle grades. The district said staffing placements would prioritize teachers’ certifications and open vacancies across the system.

Staffing, contracts and timeline: Chief human resources officer Bonnie Gomez told attendees that teacher contracts are governed by state statute and that issued contracts have an April 20 signing deadline; she said the district lacks authority under state law to extend that deadline. Romo and staff said assignments and placement details would be addressed after a board decision and that the district would attempt to place affected staff at other sites when possible.

Community input and next steps: Romo presented a survey taken for the meeting in which about 71% of respondents (97 people) preferred keeping the 8th‑grade cohort at the Joyce Clark facility as part of Town and Country rather than moving those students to Buena High School. The district plans to send a broader follow‑up survey to all families and staff to gather preferences about K–8 versus other configurations. Romo said the governing board will consider her recommendation at its April 21 meeting, and staff pledged to post the presentations, FAQs and answers to unanswered questions on the district’s consolidation web page.

What’s unresolved: presenters fielded multiple questions about precise projected savings, the legal status of district properties, the detailed cost to transition sites, and whether closing additional schools might be required in future budget scenarios; the district said it would provide additional fiscal detail to the board and the community before a final vote.